The present invention relates to sports training, and in particular to sports vision training eyeglasses having lenses that carry reticles to provide visual references within player's field of view.
In many sports, such as tennis and baseball, the ability of the player to obtain proper head positioning while observing a ball during play is extremely important. For example, in tennis proper head positioning can allow a player to see the ball clearly while running, doing a split step, and stroking the ball. Good head positioning leads to better visual processing, balance, consistency, depth control, timing, and overall visual awareness of the ball, the opponent, the court position, and the player during play.
Proper head position allows for maximal use of all visual skills while minimizing extraneous movement of visual-related systems and processing organs. To see a tennis ball traveling at high speed requires positioning the head for minimal eye movement. By keying on an opponent's patterns, early shot recognition, and initial and later head positioning, the amount of head jerking and the angular velocity of the eyes while playing tennis may be minimized, resulting in better tracking of the ball and higher levels of performance.
During a point in a tennis match, there are three phases of observation by a player: shot recognition phase, during which the player watches the opponent hit a shot; tracking phase, during which the player tracks movement of the ball that has been hit by the opponent; and stroking phase, during which the player hits a shot in return. During each of these three phases, the player's head position, focus, and movement into position to hit the ball influence the quality of the player's shot. There are three visual dimensions within each element of each phase: height, width, and depth. Visual errors may occur in any one of the three phases. The main causes of the error have to do with head positioning, visual focus, and body position.
Head positioning is a fundamental element of the dynamic visual process. Proper head positioning reduces visual processing errors, while poor head positioning adds to the problems of dynamic visual processing.
Practice often focuses on motor skills, rather than on the visual skills that guide those motor skills. There is a need for visual training devices that allow athletes to simplify the visual decision process and decrease visual reaction time.